Snow At Tanair
by LostInFictionLIF
Summary: Snow hit Tanair hard that winter, but Winnamine finally lets Aly take the stir-crazy Balitang children out to play in the snow.


**A/N: My Nawat does not do him any justice. He is very hard to write, but still the most amazing character ever.**

**Disclaimer: Own the characters/world/universe? I don't even own a copy of all the books!

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Snow at Tanair

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The snow had locked them in at Tanair castle for nearly a week. Duchess Winnamine had forbidden anyone from leaving the stony keep whilst the blizzard raged on. Sarai and Dove, Sarai especially, were beginning to get stir crazy. Sarai had pestered Aly continuously to try and find them a way into the castle courtyard.

Aly'd refused. Tortall had never had snow like this, well not that she'd seen. Pirate's Swoop got a light spattering, but Aunt Daine said that the snow was fearsome in the north. It had always amused young Aly no end the thought of snow being 'fearsome'. But sixteen year old Aly saw sense in her adoptive Aunt's words.

The winds howled all night long, sneaking through the shutters. The castle had never felt so cold and Aly had to wonder if this was how it'd been when her mother went to retrieve the Dominion Jewel. Of course Alanna the Lioness, King's Champion, would spin it the story so hers sounded worse and more dangerous. Aly believed that being a legend had gone to her mother's head.

As the new spy master for the Balitang family ambled down the corridor, she was bombarded by an overly excited Sarai carrying Petranne, Dove just behind with Elsren.

"The blizzard! It's stopped! Winna says we can go in the courtyard if there's someone with us. Please come with us Aly." Sarai pleaded, making Aly grin.

"Fine. But wrap up warm. I don't want to be blamed for any of you falling ill." Sarai threw the pair into a grateful hug (squishing Petranne in the process) before rushing off to their chambers to grab extra layers. Dove sighed, shaking her head with a little smile on her closed face, and followed her sister whilst shifting Elsren on her hip. Sarai really couldn't handle being cooped up, which made Aly doubt Kyprioth's choice.

But all thought of Kyprioth and his plans disappeared when she walked into the kitchen (expecting Chenaol) to find Ochobu chasing Nawat with a rolling pin. Aly had to laugh, even more so when she saw the delight on Nawat's face. Crow or man, he still loved to terrorise Ochobu, not caring if he endangered himself.

_Or me apparently_, Aly thought as he cowered behind her thin frame. Even though he was in pursuit from Ochobu, he still found time to play with Aly's now shoulder-length hair. It was very distracting and whenever his fingertips got remotely close to her neck all coherent sentences escaped her.

Somehow she managed. "Ochobu, do you really think a rolling pin will deter our pesky crow friend?" Aly asked sweetly, a manner she often adopted with the old mage. The woman lowered the cooking equipment, scowling at both Aly and Nawat –who still grinned. "That's better. Now what's he done?"

"He's been messing with my supplies. Putting bugs in them and what not." She roared, Nawat still un-phased by it all. Aly rolled her eyes and asked the crow-man about his behaviour. He gave the crow shrug Aly loved so much.

"I wanted to see er run around all angry like with her washing. It's funny when she screams." Ochobu raised the rolling pin again while Nawat grinned merrily. Aly could barely reign in the mage's temper.

"Nawat apologise." He did so, but reluctantly. "I'm going to take him off your hands now." Leading Nawat away, Aly heard the elderly woman grumbling. "One of these days she is going to hurt you and I won't be able to do anything."

Aly's stern words seemed not to have hit home with Nawat. An odd expression littered his face. "Why do you speak to me the same way you do Elsren or Petranne?" His normally cheery voice had gone quiet.

"I do it only when you do childish things." She protested, though it wasn't what he wanted to hear. Deciding she didn't want to participate in this conversation anymore, as it invoked emotions she wasn't aware she could feel, Aly told him about their plans to play in the snow. "So wrap up warm!" She yelled as she sped down the corridor to collect some warm clothes from Chenaol.

Only a short while later, Aly, Nawat, Sarai, Dove, Petranne and Elsren all stood staring at the unbroken snow. They all wore so many layers they could hardly move, all except Nawat who wore what he always wore. Sarai started to ask him how he could just stand there, when Dove threw a snowball at her sister.

A squeal later and an entire snowball fight broke out, even Petranne and Elsren joining in. Nawat had a habit of catching the snowballs Aly threw at him, and just threw them back as if he'd made them himself. Aly vowed that she'd get him, but she had little success even with her good aim and Sight as an aid.

When the fight died down (after Aly had managed to get snow down the back of Nawat's shirt), Sarai and Dove helped their younger siblings build a snowman called Mequen, after their late father. Aly and Nawat sat on a snow covered bench to watch the four of them working together. Aly sighed, thinking of the days when she built snowmen with her Alan and Thom. They'd built their father, or Uncle Jon or Uncle Numy; they even built their Uncle Thom, someone who they'd never met. But their mother's stories of him meant they knew him inside out, as if he were their twin.

She sighed again, missing her family. A shiver went down her spine as the cold caught up with her. But an arm snaked around her waist, drawing the spymaster closer to Nawat's surprisingly warm body. She nestled in; forgetting her burden Kyprioth had so kindly placed upon her shoulders. She forgot the fact she missed her family sorely, be they blood or adoptive. She even missed a child she hadn't met. Aly may have seen the naming of Daine and Numair's first born, but she wasn't there.

But that was all gone. Simply because Nawat had placed his arm around her. She hated it that he could make her forget the world, but she also kind of liked it.

A tickle at her chin told her Nawat wanted to look at her, but she was caught by surprise when he kissed her softly. He wasn't supposed to kiss her in the open. Aly had a game face to keep that couldn't be ruined by her mooning over Nawat. But she didn't care. She suspected half of Tanair knew of hers and Nawat's growing romance.

Aly blamed the snow. It made everyone forget their rules. Sarai and Dove never usually played with Elsren and Petranne they way they were; they sat and watched whilst Pembery amused the younger Balitangs. Even Nawat acted out of character. His pranks had on the elderly mage had died down by the autumn as he and Aly got closer.

Yes, Aly definitely blamed the snow. Though she had enjoyed Nawat's sudden show of affection. With her head back resting on his shoulder, the Lioness' daughter smiled. She liked the way things were going with Nawat.

She liked the way her stomach twirled at the mere thought of him. She liked the sudden rush she gets when he smiles. She even liked the nauseating feeling she got when he kissed her.

All she hoped now was that he'd stop feeding her bugs.

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**Please R&R : )**


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